Rick Perry on Abortion

Republican Governor (TX)

Protect the unborn via sonogram requirement

Most Texans, regardless of party, believe the integrity of elections would be improved, by requiring participants to show a valid photo identification before voting. We also need to protect property ownership with tougher eminent domain laws.

We need to protect the unborn by fast-tracking the sonogram bill, so that women are fully, medically informed before they make the life-changing decision to terminate a pregnancy.

Source: 2011 Texas State of the State Address
, Feb 8, 2011

The right to privacy is fictitious

The Court decided in 1963 that the people of Connecticut were unconstitutionally outlawing the sale of contraceptives, because--it imagined--in the "penumbras" of the Constitution there is a right to privacy that prohibits that policy. Penumbras? What
total and complete nonsense. The justices made a policy and then made something up in the Constitution to effectuate it.

Eight years later the Court found that this "right to privacy" extends to the right of a woman to choose to terminate her pregnancy
--a rather tepid euphemism for ending the life of the unborn baby. In what can only be described as an arrogant commitment to itself--an ode to its own legitimacy, if you will--the Court actually touted its self-given "authority to decide [the people's]
constitutional cases and speak before all others for their constitutional ideals." I assume the Court would like us to say thank you, but I also assume that the 52 million or so unborn children who never had a shot at the American dream may beg to differ.

The Christian Coalition voter guide [is] one of the most powerful tools Christians have ever had to impact our society during elections. This simple tool has helped educate tens of millions of citizens across this nation as to where candidates for public office stand on key faith and family issues.

The CC survey summarizes candidate stances on the following topic: "Prohibiting human embryonic stem cell research". [Supporting this statement means the candidate would ban such research; opposing it means the candidate would allow such research].

The Christian Coalition voter guide [is] one of the most powerful tools Christians have ever had to impact our society during elections. This simple tool has helped educate tens of millions of citizens across this nation as to where candidates for public office stand on key faith and family issues.

The CC survey summarizes candidate stances on the following topic:"Public funding of abortions, (such as govt. health benefits and Planned Parenthood)"

Supports the Pro-life Presidential Leadership Pledge.

Perry signed the Pro-life Presidential Leadership Pledge

The Susan B. Anthony List's 2012 Pro-life Presidential Leadership Pledge asks declared presidential candidates to commit to key pro-life goals if elected to the presidency in 2012. While this is by no means a complete list of all pro-life objectives, having a President that actively supports these pro-life aims will keep up the momentum to achieve our ultimate goal of ending abortion in this country. The Pro-life pledge:

I PLEDGE that I will only support candidates for President who are committed to protecting Life. I demand that any candidate I support commit to these positions:

FIRST, to nominate to the U.S. federal bench judges who are committed to restraint and applying the original meaning of the Constitution, not legislating from the bench;

SECOND, to select only pro-life appointees for relevant Cabinet and Executive Branch positions, in particular the head of National Institutes of Health, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Health & Human Services;

THIRD, to advance pro-life legislation to permanently end all taxpayer funding of abortion in all domestic and international spending programs, and defund Planned Parenthood and all other contractors and recipients of federal funds with affiliates that perform or fund abortions;

FOURTH, advance and sign into law a Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to protect unborn children who are capable of feeling pain from abortion.